


You know the drill

by hotelcortez



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Casinos, Flirting, Gambling, Gen, Heist, M/M, Mentions of alcohol, Non-Idol AU, Theft, and they're hot, bad boys au, hyunlix are hot, hyunlix in the 2nd chapter, i watched the all in mv 50 times and went feral, skz are hot, super unrealistic but it's really hot, there's a 'you want to kiss me so bad' moment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:41:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27866294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hotelcortez/pseuds/hotelcortez
Summary: Stray Kids have always dominated the casino world, their ruthless skill and seemingly never-ending luck making them deadly.That is until they find their challenge in a golden-eyed boy with freckles like glitter and a deep voice like satan and an apparent interest in being on their team.All he needs to do is achieve the impossible: win more money than them in a single night.. . .Inspired by all in
Relationships: Hwang Hyunjin/Lee Felix
Comments: 78
Kudos: 327





	1. Dealer's Choice

**Author's Note:**

> heyyaa all!!
> 
> so apparently skz japan releases do something to me. first i write about top and now im writing about all in. i can't help it, okay?! their concepts are so cool!!!
> 
> anywayyys, i hope you enjoy this. i've actually wanted to write something along these lines for a really long time. first chapter is more set-up than action, but stay with me
> 
> (also im not 21 yet and don't know a lot about casinos so pls dont trust me on that stuff)
> 
> tw: casinos, gambling, mentions of alcohol, a gold heist thingy, this story is more action than angst so nothing graphic, but stay safe <3

_Stand up and show your skill_

_You know the drill_

_Just keep it trill until the end_

_That's how we deal_

-All in – Stray Kids

. . .

The night started with the usual flicker of the lit sign above the casino.

It was a regal sign, standing tall and mysterious above a round building full of nightmares. It lured people in, tempting them to open their wallets and spend their savings and lose themselves to a world that very little knew how to navigate.

But once you did know how to navigate that certain alluring little world, it made you a master.

That’s who Stray Kids were.

They were young, a lot younger than any regular visitor of the casino, but their age proved no hindrance as they won game after game, walked home with money pile after money pile, earnt themselves a reputation that had even the fiercest gamblers staying away from them.

Chan smirked as he stared up at the flickering sign, _it was time for another night of fun._

He was dressed for the occasion, in his signature all black; a low sleeveless shirt hanging off his shoulders with a leather jacket over the top and dark jeans littered with rips all down his legs. He had on a gold belt with a huge buckle and thick platformed boots that made him at least two inches taller. His dark hair was styled away from his face, showing off his piercings and glittered eyebrow slits.

His pockets were, as usual, loaded with cash, an empty metal case held snugly in his hand that would almost certainly be filled with even more cash at the end of the night.

He wasn’t neat or suited like the typical gambler, which meant he’d been seriously underestimated when he’d first entered the gambling scene. No one had made that mistake again, not to Chan or the six kids he’d taken under his wing, all of them as equally skilled and sly and thirsty for money.

Speaking of, Chan turned away from the sign and towards his group of boys circled behind him. There was a familiar determination twinkling in their eyes, sparkling with the excitement for another night of slicing through cut-throat competition and causing trouble.

“I hope we’re ready, team,” Chan smirked at them, “I have a good feeling about tonight.”

He received a devilishly handsome smirk back, belonging to none other than Lee Minho, the first of Chan’s boys to find his way under his wing.

“Don’t jinx it now, captain,” Minho said, shiny lips curling effortlessly around the words, “Wouldn’t want you to be our bad luck.”

Chan just shook his head, knowing that Minho was only teasing.

Minho was easily the slyest of them all. He was impossible to prank; able to see his way through any lie and use deadly precision to present his own with terrifying ease. He had harsh judgment with people; could tell exactly what type of person they were within minutes of meeting them and used that to expertly craft his way through games and competitions.

Chan usually placed Minho at card tables, utilising his poker and blackjack skills for optimal profit.

There was also another advantage to Minho… he was absolutely beautiful, and he knew it.

Distracting the competition with winks and attractive smirks was a tactic that Minho didn’t need to use, but one that served him well. It wasn’t like Chan could blame the people that fell for it; Minho was almost impossible to resist in his silk red shirt and black choker, leather trousers clinging gorgeously to his legs and high-heeled boots clacking delightfully whenever he walked.

His face was crafted by the gods, all high cheekbones and soft eyes, his dark hair curled and hanging just above the long eyelashes that even Hyunjin was jealous of.

Chan may have not realised it yet, but Minho was almost right with what he said. Chan may have jinxed that night with his words, not realising that him and the kids were set to encounter someone who could not only give Minho a (literal) run for his money, but could also stand confidently next to him in a beauty contest.

“I’m sorry, but if there’s anyone who’s bad luck here then it’s Jisung,” came a new voice, all eyes sliding to where Jeongin was standing with his arms folded and mischief glittering in his eyes.

Jisung squawked in response, pinning Jeongin with an entirely un-scary glare and an almost adorable pout on his lips.

“I don’t even do anything and you lot drag me!” Jisung whined, sounding completely opposite to the snarkiness of Minho.

When Chan had first met Jisung, he was convinced that Jisung had just walked into the wrong building and stayed because he thought the casino was fun. But then Chan had watched him play, and everything became clear.

Jisung was loud and troublesome and not intimidating at all, but he was also exploding with charisma and tingled with genius. He had a way with words that made people want to refuse to listen to him, but also hang onto his every word. He had fast hands and a fast mind and his endless chatter was an amazing distraction for how much he won, making people underestimate him and then practically fall at his feet when he destroyed them.

Jisung was also very pretty, dressed in a bright yellow crop-top and a tartan black skirt. Fishnets popped out the waistband, leading down to an expensive pair of pink trainers that contrasted harshly with the obnoxious orange of his hair. Chan kind of hated his outfit, but also couldn’t deny that Jisung looked hot.

That didn’t mean everyone stopped teasing Jisung for it though. He was the main target of the group, but they were the only ones allowed to tease him. Anyone else who tried found themselves in a whole world of pain.

“Jeongin, don’t pick on Jisung,” Chan made sure to say before anymore teasing could start, “If you make him sad then he won’t win.”

“It is extremely bold of you to assume that, Mr Bang-Chan-hyung,” Jisung turned his gaze to Chan, the childlike pout now switched to something much cockier, “I win no matter what.”

“Oh yeah?” Chan raised an eyebrow, “Prove it.”

At that, the whole group exclaimed in various states of excitement, all of them grinning like little chesire cats and reaching over to poke Jisung in the shoulder. Chan watched them with a smile, constantly caught off guard by how young and childish his team were when they weren’t sweeping through the casino.

“And with that,” Jeongin pulled all attention back to him, “I think we should get started.”

Chan joined in with the group’s fake cries of ‘yes boss!’, all of them pushing and shoving at each other as they made their way towards the grand entrance doors. The casino began to loom further over them, the golden double doors almost waiting to let them in.

That was a voice spoke out from in front of them.

They all stopped.

“Stray Kids?”

It was a deep voice, a _really_ deep voice, belonging to a shadow that was standing just outside the casino entrance, only their figure visible in the darkness.

Chan stopped, holding out a hand to gesture at his group to stop behind him.

All their eyes bored into the person who had spoken, their back leant against the wall and arms hanging loosely by their sides. In the darkness, Chan could just about tell that the figure was staring back at them. They didn’t seem threatening, but Chan still felt chills at their pure tension that was their voice.

Chan chose to watch silently as Changbin took a step in front of them all, jutting out his chin.

“Stray Kids is us,” Changbin’s voice was raspy, not quite as deep as the stranger’s but still threatening, “Who’s asking?”

Chan had to hold himself back from nodding in approval, always in awe of Changbin’s ability to simply stand like a statue and still intimidate people that towered over him.

The strongest of the group was definitely Changbin. He had wide shoulders and broad arms and a jawline that could cut glass. His brain was smart like a whip, his fists moving as fast as his mind. His permanent snarl and dark fringe that fell over one eye making him seem deadly scary to anyone who encountered him.

His outfit didn’t help; he was wearing a white sleeveless top with no jacket despite the chill of the night, showing off the excessive number of tattoos on his arms. His waist was accentuated by the chain-belt on his black cargo pants and he had even more chains jingling from his pockets.

But, still, the figure refused to back down. They barely even moved as their gaze shifted to Changbin. If they were intimidated, they hid it well.

“You wouldn’t recognise me,” they eventually answered Changbin’s question, a hint of wistfulness in their voice that Changbin tilted his head at, “But I recognise you.”

“And what do you want?” Changbin practically demanded, his fists starting to curl, “We don’t play these types of games.”

“I think we all know that’s not true,” the figure said, making even Chan’s skin start to twist in defensiveness, “But that’s okay. I play these games too.”

Chan was about to step forward himself, about to stand next to Changbin and bark at his stranger that they didn’t care who he was, but he better leave them alone.

But the stranger beat him to it, pushing himself off the wall and stepping into the light with boots that were even more heel that Minho’s.

And that was when Chan felt his breath stop, the others all freezing behind him.

The stranger was pretty.

Heck, the stranger was _beautiful_.

He was young, probably the same age as some of them, and had a face that had _no right_ to own the voice that it did. He was all thick lips and big eyes and he had sparkly make-up dusted over a scattering of freckles on his cheeks.

His long hair was practically white, styled away from his forehead but stretched into a millet reaching the back of his neck. There were gemstones under his eyes, a red bomber jacket puffing loosely over a skinny black dress that ended mid-thigh.

He stood with a hand on his hip, his legs curled in just the right way. He was hot and, like Minho, he had no issue showing it.

It infuriated Chan, but it also intrigued him.

Stray Kids didn’t usually find anyone their age in the casino, especially someone so attractive and stylish, or someone brave enough to approach them.

“My name’s Felix,” the boy smiled, winking at them, “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you all.”

Chan got his bearings, forcing himself to straighten up and aim a glare at Felix. He felt Changbin beside him doing the same.

“Well, that’s lovely, Felix,” Chan said sarcastically, trying to bore holes into Felix’s skull with his eyes, “And that was a great entrance and all, but you probably already know that we don’t deal with anyone outside our team.”

With that, Chan motioned everyone to step around Felix and stride towards the entrance, his footsteps thick and loud as he stormed away. The double doors got closer to him, Felix forgotten almost instantly as Chan approached what he was really interested in.

But apparently it wasn’t that simple.

Felix’s boot clinked almost satisfyingly against the floor as he slid smoothly in front of Chan, holding out his hands to stop him.

Chan felt a surge of anger in his chest.

“Listen, kid,” he seethed through gritted teeth, meeting Felix’s gaze with a snarl, “You should know better than to bother us. Now get out of my way.”

“You’ll regret not hearing me out,” Felix refused to back down, his gaze locked onto Chan’s equally as strong. Chan bristled, it wasn’t often people didn’t crumple when he glared at them, especially when they were only stood inches from his face.

“We don’t want to hear you out,” Changbin spoke before Chan could, his voice almost unbothered, “If you need money or protection or any of that stupid stuff, then we can’t help you.”

“That’s not what I want,” Felix answered quickly, his eyes sliding to Changbin before they locked back on Chan, staring him directly in the eye, “You said you won’t deal with me because I’m not on your team, well I’m looking to change that.”

Chan couldn’t hold back the small flinch of surprise, all anger filtering out his brain as he processed the words.

Felix _… wanted to be on Stray Kids’ team?_

Chan had certainly never heard that one before.

“You,” Chan stared him down, “You want to join Stray Kids?”

Felix nodded, his face unrelenting as Chan tried to work out what the hell he was supposed to do with that.

Chan hadn’t accepted a new member since he’d decided he was happy with his original six. Did Chan want another member on his team? How the hell was Chan supposed to know if Felix was even good enough? How could Chan even trust him anyway?

Chan didn’t take any risks when it came to his team, so he didn’t like not knowing whether Felix was going to be a threat to them or not.

Fortunately, it seemed he wasn’t the only one having these questions.

“Why the hell would you want to be on our team?” It was Minho who piped up this time, his face neutral but something unreadable simmering under his eyes.

Felix shrugged, giving Minho a smile that Chan wanted to get angry at, but made him softer than he was willing to admit.

“You guys protect each other and you earn good money,” Felix said, “What’s not to like?”

“ _What’s not to like_?” Minho copied Felix like he was stupid, “You realise the gambling world isn’t nearly as glamourous as we make it seem?”

Felix shrugged again, but this time there was some stiffness to the movement, something flickering over his face that made Chan think that maybe there was more to Felix than met the eye.

“How do you think I got here?” Felix said, his voice almost suspiciously neutral, “Anyone with a gambling addiction usually has an unpleasant reason for getting into it. I’m sure you’re all well aware of that.”

Now that made Chan pause, all apprehension slowly filtering out his mind as he considered Felix’s words. It seemed like Felix, just like the rest of them had all been at some point, was just a kid in a tight spot. And Chan may have been a ruthless gambler, but he had an undeniable need to help kids in tight spots.

But that didn’t mean Chan could just accept Felix straight away. Chan had other kids to protect, had a reputation to uphold, had a team to keep afloat. If Felix threatened to drag them down, whether that was by being a bad gambler or something else, then he had to go.

That didn’t mean he didn’t deserve a chance.

Chan held up a hand, silencing his team behind him and causing Felix to look hopefully at him. The look almost pierced something in Chan’s heart, but he pushed it down. He had to remain focused. Felix’s sob story wouldn’t get him anywhere in the gambling world, which meant it couldn’t help him worm his way into Chan’s heart.

Chan lowered his hand, letting the silence hang in the air for a moment before he opened his mouth.

“Seungmin,” Chan said, startling everyone with the single world, “Come here.”

Confusion flashed in Felix’s eyes as Seungmin slinked his way to the front of the group, standing next to Chan.

Chan nodded at Felix, turning to look at Seungmin, “What do you think of him?”

Seungmin smirked, his eyes raking over Felix in such a meticulous, frightful way that Chan could tell Felix was actively holding back a squirm.

There was a reason Chan wanted Seungmin’s opinion.

Seungmin was the smartest of them all, his mind practically a machine. He could stare right into people’s souls, could see their intentions and tell their next moves and get to know them better than they knew themselves.

Chan didn’t know what it was, but Seungmin was also intimidating in a completely unique way.

He was wearing a black beret, his fiery red hair scattered over his forehead. He had on a white shiny shirt with baggy pirate sleeves, tucked into a pair of expensive black jeans. His nails were painted a jet black, his eyes lined and lashes extended in a way that made his gaze unrelenting.

But Felix, despite looking uncomfortable, didn’t visibly react. He let Seungmin stare him down, kept his posture straight, didn’t say anything as he was judged before their very eyes.

Seungmin finished his mental examination with a slight tilt of his head, turning to Chan with a hum.

“I think we can give him a chance,” he said, voice coy, “I reckon he’s good, but we’ll have to see if he’s good enough.”

With that, he flashed some side-eye at Felix, giving him a last once-over before returning to the back of the group.

Chan didn’t miss the way Felix’s eyes widened, the way something akin to hope started to bubble under his face. Chan couldn’t help becoming more intrigued, part of him hoping that Felix did impress them somehow so they could find out more about him.

But that didn’t mean Felix didn’t need to pass a test. Only the best were allowed on Chan’s team. If that wasn’t Felix, then no amount of sympathy could save him.

“Alright, kid,” Chan looked back at Felix, “It seems you passed the first test.”

Felix’s eyes almost bugged out his head, his gaze switching quickly from Chan to Seungmin and then back again, “The first test was… Seungmin?”

Chan closed his eyes. That was definitely the wrong thing to say.

“Yeah, do you have a problem with that?!” Changbin was marching forward and growling before anyone could think to stop him, his mouth spitting and eyes fierce as he descended upon Felix.

Everyone in the gambling world knew that Changbin was protective when it came to his dongsaengs, especially Seungmin, and Felix challenging that was evidently not a good start.

But Felix stood his ground, wrapping a noticeably tiny hand around the one Changbin fisted in his jacket.

“There’s no problem at all,” Felix’s voice got deeper as he spoke, practically face-to-face with Changbin, “Just curious, that’s all.”

“Oh yeah?” Changbin challenged, gritting his teeth as he leaned further Felix’s face, “Curiosity killed the cat, you know?”

His voice got noticeably quieter, but significantly more threatening, his tone dancing dangerously on the border of insanity. It would have given Chan chills if he hadn’t heard it so many times before.

To Felix’s credit, he didn’t look scared, but he didn’t look reassured either.

It was enough for Chan to step in.

“Alright, Bin, that’s enough,” he stepped forward, wrapping a hand in Changbin’s shirt and tugging him back, Changbin following somewhat willingly, “Felix passed the first test, it’s the hard part he has to do now.”

Changbin seemed to accept that, joining the rest of the group with a huff. Seungmin tucked him under an arm, silently thanking him for the defence.

Felix looked momentarily relieved at no longer having someone leering over him, but then the words appeared to process and he suddenly darted a look at Chan.

“The hard part?” he said, apprehension leaking into his voice.

“Yes,” Chan said, unable to hold back the grin from his lips, “You did realise you’d have to prove yourself good enough to gamble with us, right?”

Realisation flashed over Felix’s face, something sparkling in his eyes as he nodded like a bobblehead.

“Yes, of course!” Felix said, “What is it I have to do?”

At his last words, Felix stopped nodding, his shoulders squaring and posture straightening as he stared at Chan. Chan couldn’t help but raise an impressed eyebrow, noticing that Felix seemed to have a ‘business-mode’ like the rest of his team did – a headspace that would hopefully make him into the brutal champion they required him to be.

“Felix, I hope you’re aware that you have a very difficult challenge ahead,” Chan said, his own business-mode taking over as he straightened up, making a point of staring down at Felix, “You’re probably going to fail.”

That only made the determination in Felix’s eyes harder, “I understand, but I disagree,” he said, his lips quirking up, “I’m not going to fail.”

Chan had to give it to the kid, he was confident. Chan was almost tempted to believe him.

“If you say so,” Chan grinned, “Are you ready to hear what you have to do? I’m only going to say this once.”

Felix nodded so hard his head almost flew off, his posture rock-solid and eyes steeled with an intense rush of emotions. He looked as ready as he could be, so Chan supposed he shouldn’t drag it out any longer.

He felt his team standing firm behind him.

“Felix,” Chan said, every other sound of the night fading away as he spoke, “At sunrise, you need to meet us behind this casino, carrying more money than all of us put together.”

The silence was so strong Chan could have heard a penny hit the floor.

Felix’s eyes widened like lightbulbs, his meticulously well-trained façade crumbling away at the pure shock that invaded his face.

“You want me to _what_?!” he stuttered, mouth dropping open, “Take more money than you?! From the casino? There’s seven of you!”

“Well, I’m glad you can count,” Minho mused from behind, Chan having to hold back a snort at the way he almost sounded bored, “That should come in handy tonight.”

Felix threw him a look, glaring at Minho like he’d grown an extra head before scoffing and turning away again, levelling his festering gaze at Chan.

“How in the hell do you expect me to do this?” Felix managed through gritted teeth.

Chan simply shrugged, making Felix’s shoulders tighten even further, “Figure it out.”

The words clearly angered Felix, boiling a hot rage of molten lava in his blood, but Chan could see him pushing the anger down, could see him trapping it in his mind and strangling and twisting it until it formulated into logic, until it turned into something useful, until Felix could use it to win.

If Felix was a demon, his eyes would have been glowing with a glorious red.

Chan watched him through the process, admittedly impressed. What Felix didn’t know was that Chan didn’t actually expect him to win, Chan knew it was not at all fair or possible to ask one person to win more money than a team of seven geniuses. But Chan wanted to see how much money Felix could still manage to take, wanted to see how well Felix handled the pressure.

There was no way for Felix to actually win, but that’s because the game was rigged, and gamblers needed to be able to play rigged games.

If Felix did well, Chan would accept him regardless of if he won or not. But Felix didn’t know that, and it made him angry, which made him use his anger to fuel his ruthless competitive side, which made Chan want him.

Felix also couldn’t refuse the deal, because that really would mean admitting defeat. And gamblers never admitted defeat.

“Okay,” Felix nodded solidly, eyeballs burning holes into Chan’s skull, “What are the ground rules?”

“All money must come from inside the casino,” Chan said, “You can’t leave and grab money from somewhere else, you can’t get someone to bring you some cash. All money must come from inside the casino itself and nowhere else.”

Felix nodded again, his eyes narrowing as he seemed to mull something over in his head, “Does the money necessarily have to be… won?”

Chan grinned. He’d hoped Felix would ask that.

“Good question,” Chan said, “Not necessarily. I know we all have our petty little pick-pocketing tricks. If you want to do that alongside gambling then that’s fine, but it still all has to happen inside the casino.”

As much as Chan hated to admit it, him and his team were not above theft. Gambling often led to other greedy crimes and it was just another delightful source of income for the group. Felix seemed to feel the same way if the way his eyes lit up said anything. The team seemed impressed by that as well.

“Wow,” Jeongin spoke from behind, his arms folded as he eyed Felix up and down, “You really do know your way around this world, don’t you?”

Felix grinned at him, all his earlier emotion melted away as he turned once more into the cocky little casino-frequenter they’d all assumed he was.

“Expert gamblers like you should know to never under-estimate your opponents,” Felix drawled, giving Jeongin a wink that made them all scoff.

“I kinda hope you win tonight,” Jeongin said once he was done rolling his eyes, “I know you won’t, and I still don’t like you, but I kinda hope you win.”

“Thanks, little one,” Felix said in such a luxurious deep voice that Changbin stepped forward to growl at him again, clearly not liking the way Felix was talking to Jeongin. But Felix just waved Changbin off, Chan noticing just how un-intimidated he was at the blatant display of anger.

Intriguing.

Extremely intriguing.

Chan didn’t know what Felix’s deal was, but he was extremely anxious to find out. It had been a while since someone had piqued his curiosity so much.

“Alright,” Chan brought all attention back to him, squaring his shoulders as Felix’s eyes met his, “Do we have a deal?”

The corner of Felix’s lips quirked up.

“We have a deal,” he confirmed, holding out a hand that Chan shook, admittedly surprised by Felix’s unusually strong grip. His hands were tiny, but he seemed to know what he was doing with them.

“Alright, kid,” Chan said, taking a step back from Felix and nodding at him, “Good luck.”

Felix raked his eyes over the seven of them, seeming to take them all in before he smirked a smirk so attractive that even Changbin seemed taken aback.

“I won’t need luck,” Felix said, the words hanging in the air for a second before he was off, hair whipping behind him and his heels clacking against the floor as he swept into the casino.

Chan watched him go with a raised eyebrow.

“Decent gambler or not, the kid can put on one heck of a show,” Minho spoke up once Felix was out of sight, the entire group all turning to glance at one another.

“It makes me wonder,” Chan said, still staring at the door, “He might actually be a good fit for us.”

Changbin snorted so loud it was enough to silence all of them, “I doubt it,” he scoffed, “He’s probably all talk. He won’t even come close to beating us.”

The group responded with hums of varying agreement, Seungmin remaining silent until they all looked at him exquisitely.

“I don’t know,” Seungmin tilted his head at their questioning eyes, “I have a feeling Felix might surprise us.”

Changbin’s snort was even louder this time, almost as loud as the way Jeongin cackled in response, but Chan made sure to speak over them, wanting to actually get down to business.

“Well, if Felix is going to surprise us,” he said, feeling his group straighten around him, “Then we need to surprise him back twice as hard.”

Chan said the words gleefully, making sure to over-announce them and smile as he spoke, snatching every inch of attention the six other boys could give him.

Minho’s face twisted into something cruel, “Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”

Chan grinned at him, “I am.”

The response was an immediate series of whoops and cheers that blistered through them, making them punch the air and grab each other in almost violent hugs. Chan watched them fondly, allowing them to smack his shoulders and ruffle his hair and yell ‘ _finally!_ ’ at permission to finally enact what they’d been planning for months.

“Minho, Jisung,” Chan caught their attention effortlessly again, “I want you two doing your usual thing on tables. Felix will get suspicious if he suddenly can’t find any of us inside. Just play blackjack, poker, anything you want. Win all the money and help secure the big amount we’ll be walking away with tonight.”

Both Minho and Jisung saluted at him, their faces sparkling with identical sadist twinkles as they linked arms and sauntered off together, throwing everyone quick waves over their shoulders.

Chan waited until they were gone, turning back to his group and only taking a second to lock eyes on the next part of his plan.

“Hyunjin,” Chan said slyly, waiting for Hyunjin’s face to ignite in its usual excitement for the night, “I’ve got a special mission for you.”

Hyunjin’s eyebrows shot up, “Oh yeah?” he said, practically brimming with excitement.

“I need you to let your hair down, stand tall, look your sexiest and follow Felix around for the night,” Chan instructed, not missing the way Hyunjin made a point of twirling his hair, “Use every trick you know. Distract him, distract the people around him, flirt your way into his circles, find out what he’s up to, block him any chance you can.”

Hyunjin giggled in a way they all knew was his slyest trick, his lips sloping into a smile and eyes curling so they projected innocence. It was a look that had never failed Hyunjin, and a look that Chan was relying on.

Hyunjin was, presumably, the pretty face of the group. He was absolutely, undeniably, positively, drop-dead gorgeous with a slim face, doll-like features and long glossy blond hair that practically shined next to all his makeup. He wore an oversized mesh see-through pink top with a pleated black skirt. It was complimented nicely by black knee-high socks and a pair of lace-up black boots with hearts up the side.

Anyone who looked at Hyunjin could never look away.

And that was where Hyunjin truly got his power. Hyunjin was much, _much_ more than a pretty face. He had an emotional depth that most people couldn’t comprehend, making him excellent at recognising and preying on people’s emotions. Hyunjin was the perfect distraction, and the perfect winner.

Felix didn’t stand a chance.

Chan watched as Hyunjin tottered into the casino, stopping in the doorway for a moment before his eyes locked on something and he suddenly strutted off with purpose. He’d found his target. He was going to find Felix.

Chan grinned to himself. _Perfect_.

That left Chan, Changbin, Seungmin and Jeongin.

Chan turned to the other three with what felt like an absolutely deadly look on his face. He could practically feel his eyes glowering, his soul twisting, his skin knotting with what felt like terrifyingly morbid excitement. It had been a long time since he’d been faced with a real challenge. And this plan had been a long time coming.

He may have hated to admit it, but Chan was glad Felix had showed up. Chan and his team liked to be kept on their toes, like to be presented with the unexpected, liked to find new ways to capture, crush and destroy.

And if Felix somehow proved them all wrong, then they’d only have another teammate to play with.

Chan smiled and the rest of his team smiled back.

For the crucial part of his mission he had Changbin, Seungmin and Jeongin. Changbin was brawn. Seungmin was brain. Jeongin was exactly in the middle.

“Jeongin,” Chan turned to him, “You okay with being lookout? I promise you’ll get to play some games after.”

Jeongin’s fox-like eyes formed into crescents as he nodded, face beaming with what he was asked.

Jeongin was a little wildcard in their group. His duality was overwhelming. He could be the cute, adorable maknae that they all knew he really was, or he could be dangerous.

He knew how to play his cards, he knew how to work his way into someone’s head and then into their heart, he knew how to observe and plan and love and hate all at the same time.

His cuteness was somehow only amplified by his almost-shredded overly-baggy black mom jeans, leading down to thick navy boots. His torso was hugged by a thin sleeveless red t-shirt with chains hooked round his arms, his black jacket practically hanging off his shoulders. His hair was a deep navy blue, complimenting nicely to his dark makeup.

It was every part of Jeongin that made him the perfect lookout. He was cute enough to get away with anything but deadly enough to cause the perfect amount of distraction. He could divert guards and knock out attackers and his endless intuition meant he could spot any sort of danger from a mile away.

It meant Chan, Changbin and Seungmin could do what they needed to do without trouble.

“Jeongin, head inside,” Chan gestured his head at the casino entrance, “Play a couple of games, then go to your station. Don’t attract attention.”

“Got it, hyung,” Jeongin threw him a peace sign, “Want me to use the usual signals?”

“Yep,” Chan nodded, “Text me a green heart when you’re ready, yellow if you think it’s going to take more time, black if you need help, and red if we need to get out.”

Jeongin nodded back, meeting Chan’s gaze in a silent good luck before he slunk off, dragging his shoes across the floor like a typical teenager and attracting just the perfect amount of attention.

That left Chan and his perfect schemers.

“Gentlemen,” Chan stared Changbin and Seungmin dead in their faces, feeling the world start to shimmer like gold around them, “Are we ready?”

Changbin grinned lazily, “I was born ready.”

Seungmin just rolled his eyes, fixing Chan an almost fed-up look, “As if I wouldn’t be ready, hyung.”

Chan could only cackle at them, feeling his chest start to vibrate with excitement as he readied himself for what they were about to do. They were going to beat Felix. They were going to win the night.

They were going to get _hella rich_.

“Stray Kids,” Chan said, his business-mode well and truly encompassing him as Changbin and Seungmin looked at him, “Get ready. It’s time for our first gold heist.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soooo....chapter 1..... thank you for sticking with me so far!!
> 
> ik there wasn't much action in this, but we've met all our characters now and they're ready to get down to business ;)
> 
> next chapter is my fave so please look forward to that xxx
> 
> have a beautiful day <333


	2. Your Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh, baby,” Hyunjin said, letting a smirk pull effortlessly at his face, “You should know better than to make bets you can’t win.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyyaa, thank you so much to everyone who enjoyed the first chapter!!
> 
> this second chapter was actually supposed to be kinda long, but i liked the beginning section so much that I decided to separate it off and make it into two chapters instead. it means the chapters will be shorter, but i hope you'll be able to see why this bit needed a chapter of it's own ;)
> 
> please enjoy <33

The endless glowing disorientation of the casino span around Hyunjin as he strutted through the centre of the room.

He could feel every pair of eyes circling to him, looking away from their games and towards the elegant figure that was enamouring them all. Hyunjin added an extra spring to his step, swaying his hips and blowing some hair out his eyes, savouring being the centre of attention even when people were gambling their lives away only a few feet from him.

It was an electric feeling. There were games happening all around Hyunjin, people handing over their life savings, people choking into scotch glances, squeezing tightly to the coins between their fingers, fists curling into the expensive jackets they were sweating in.

The entire room was loud with their cries, their fake conversation bouncing off the walls and spinning on the roulette wheel. Fruit machines were rocking, cards were tearing, people were walking round and round and round desperately searching for spare change and loose luck.

If you didn’t know how to rule a casino, it would claim you.

It gave Hyunjin a sick sense of power play. He knew how to rule a casino. He knew how to rob blind the supposedly powerful men surrounding him. He was basically just a piece of meat to them, but he could pull the carpet from under them and send them crashing to the concrete outside, not a single penny left in their pockets.

It was exhilarating.

Hyunjin could practically taste it on the tip of his tongue, could almost touch it with his fingertips, could close his fist around what was going to be another victory on another gleeful night.

But Hyunjin wasn’t there to play games that night, he was there to hunt down Felix. The only one who was brave enough to challenge them, the one who Hyunjin was going to give a night of absolute hell.

It wasn’t that Hyunjin didn’t want Felix to succeed. Felix was dazzlingly hot and Hyunjin had to admit he had a hell-ton of respect for the amount of bravery it must have taken for Felix to approach them. But Hyunjin also knew Felix couldn’t be on the team if he wasn’t strong enough, which meant that Hyunjin had to push that strength to the absolute limit whilst the rest of his team gathered the winnings they’d need to ultimately reach victory.

It was a job Hyunjin was taking seriously.

He spotted Felix at a poker table, an unreadable sparkle in his eye and two cards held meticulously between his fingers. His red coat was slung on his chair with his shoulders on full display in the skinny black dress all the men around him were practically slobbering at.

Hyunjin smirked to himself, Felix certainly knew how to play to his strengths.

But Hyunjin could play to his strengths too.

Hyunjin made sure to cross paths with a waiter carrying a tray of unbearably expensive-looking cocktails. He winked at the waiter, smirking at them in such a beautiful way that they were so distracted they didn’t notice Hyunjin slipping one of the drinks into his own hands, curling his fingers around it and twirling so he was once more heading in Felix’s direction.

The drink was cold against Hyunjin’s palm, shining a gorgeous red and smelling deliciously like a stick of tutti-fruity lip balm. There were irresistible umbrellas poking out the top, looking fun and exciting and inviting enough that Hyunjin almost took a sip himself.

However Hyunjin knew better than to drink on casino nights. Alcohol could take him off his game and Hyunjin would never be caught in such a state, but that didn’t mean Felix wouldn’t.

“Here, angel,” Hyunjin said as he arrived at the table, multiple pairs of eyes twisting to him as he leant against the back of Felix’s chair, slinking over to place the drink in front of him, “A token of luck for you.”

Felix caught Hyunjin’s eyes, his lips curling up and gaze sparkling with something that was all-too-knowing.

“I thought I told you I didn’t need luck,” Felix said, refusing to break eye contact with Hyunjin, “I’m sure that drink would serve better in someone else’s hands.”

Hyunjin tilted his head, having to admit he’d half-expected that, even if he was slightly impressed by Felix’s response.

“Oh, don’t be ungrateful, my love,” Hyunjin carried on anyway, shifting elegantly round so he was leant against the side of Felix’s chair with one of his arms draped over the back, “I just didn’t want you to completely waste your time tonight. At least when we completely crush you, you’ll have gotten a nice cocktail out of it.”

Felix, much to Hyunjin’s surprise, actually laughed at that. It was a short laugh, but it was long enough that Hyunjin could hear how high-pitched and giggly it was, almost like a child.

Hyunjin blinked in surprise, taken aback by how endeared it made him.

“I’m sure that won’t be necessary,” Felix said after a second, still grinning as he looked at Hyunjin, “I’ll get a lot more than a cocktail out of tonight.”

With that, Felix turned back to his game, not giving Hyunjin a chance to respond as his gaze once more snapped down to the new cards he had been dealt. Hyunjin leant further against the chair, looking at Felix’s cards and getting ready to judge his play.

Felix cast him a couple of glances, but ultimately seemed to accept that Hyunjin wasn’t going anywhere.

It was only after a few rounds that Hyunjin had to admit… Felix was good.

Really good.

Hyunjin was starting to think that Felix could even take on Minho, and that was saying _a lot_.

He was even more impressed when, a few rounds later, Hyunjin realised Felix had used the cocktail to seduce another player in the game and then completely knock him off the table. Hyunjin would have been offended if it wasn’t a genius move.

But what was even more surprising was Felix’s attitude when he played.

Most of the poker-players in the group had such an intense poker face it was almost scary. They were like statues when they played, never once giving a single indication of what their hands could be like. And then there were the players like Hyunjin and Jisung, who were so flirty that other players didn’t stand a chance at truly reading them.

But Felix just seemed… normal.

He had a smiley face and cheery eyes and he laughed with the dealer and joked with the players and made adorable puns every chance he got. Hyunjin was baffled, convinced it would sink Felix in the game, but Felix kept raking in more and more winnings, somehow still not making the other players mad at him.

Hyunjin was so fascinated by it that he almost didn’t notice Felix finishing yet another game and suddenly leaving the table.

Hyunjin startled, pushing himself away from the chair he’d spent too long leaning against and hurrying after Felix.

“Going somewhere?” Hyunjin said when he’d caught up, walking stride-in-stride with Felix, their shoes making identical clacks against the floor.

“Didn’t think that was any of your business,” Felix simply answered, his eyes scanning the casino for a new game instead of looking at Hyunjin, “You’ve wasted enough of your time throwing yourself at me. I figured you might stay at the table to actually, you know, gamble.”

The words were snarky, accompanied by a deep voice that Hyunjin admittedly wanted to collapse at, but he kept his cool.

“Why would I want to gamble when I could spend the night with you, my darling?” Hyunjin said, his voice made of silk, silver and slithering snakes, “Don’t pretend to run away from me.”

Felix just turned to give Hyunjin a glare as he continued to stride across the room, “I’m not running away from anything. I’m running _towards_ a win, you just happen to be here.”

“Awww, the cute boy wins a couple of games at poker and then suddenly thinks he has a chance,” Hyunjin couldn’t help but say, melodramatically clutching his chest and pouting his lips in a way that he knew was absolutely adorable, “I’m sorry, sunshine, you may be hot but you still have absolutely no chance against us.”

Now _that_ brought a grin into Felix’s face.

He turned to look at Hyunjin, “You think I’m hot?”

Hyunjin had to admit, he hadn’t expected _that_ response, but he wouldn’t admit that he was flustered. Because he was definitely not. Not even a little bit.

It was just that Felix, with the casino as his backdrop and the golden lights blazing down upon him, looked absolutely beautiful.

Swept-off-your-feet beautiful. Model-on-the-front-page stunning. Drop-dead gorgeous.

Hyunjin almost choked on his breath.

“Oh, don’t flatter yourself,” Hyunjin said instead, pushing the full-on snark back into his voice, “You _know_ you’re hot, but that won’t you get you anywhere here, not unless you’re looking to go home with no money and a creepy gambler almost three times your age.”

“Oh yeah?” Felix said, his voice suspicious in a way that had Hyunjin wondering what the hell Felix was trying to mean.

Hyunjin realised he was right to be suspicious when suddenly there was a tiny hand wrapping firmly around his wrist, pulling them both to a violent stop.

“Wha-” Hyunjin tried to say, losing all his words when Felix swung him round so hard they were practically face-to-face.

“Let’s make a bet then, you little gambler,” Felix whispered, voice dripping with what could only be described as pure seduction.

He stared straight into Hyunjin’s eyes, close enough that Hyunjin could see every line of make-up on his face, every single speck of glitter that glowed so effortlessly on his skin.

“I bet,” Felix said, lips wrapping perfectly around the words, “I bet you want to kiss me so bad right now.”

A flinch rocked its way through Hyunjin’s body. His heart jumped in his throat. His eyes widened so much that Felix laughed at him.

But Hyunjin held his ground. He let the flirt inside him take over. He stared right back at Felix, practically daring him to look away, leaning in so their breaths were hot against each other’s faces.

“Oh, baby,” Hyunjin said, letting a smirk pull effortlessly at his face, “You should know better than to make bets you can’t win.”

Hyunjin was lying. He was lying and he knew he was lying. Felix probably knew he was lying too.

Hyunjin _did_ want to kiss Felix. He really did. He didn’t know whether it was the electricity zapping through the casino around them or the way Felix’s eyes flashed like lightning in a silent sky or the pure infectious euphoria that seemed to be surrounding them. But Hyunjin did want to kiss Felix.

He wanted to kiss Felix so bad.

Hyunjin almost choked when he realised he was about to lose a bet.

Confident, sexy Hyunjin, princess of the golden casino, was about to lose a bet to some hot new wannabe.

“You can’t lie to me,” was all Felix said, his eyes dropping down to Hyunjin’s lips.

They stayed like that for a second, just one tiny, micro-moment of silence that seemed to stretch on forever before they suddenly crashed together.

Time sped up again.

Felix’s lips smacked against Hyunjin’s, his hands immediately finding their way in Hyunjin’s hair and tangling in his locks, pulling so hard Hyunjin almost got whiplash.

But Hyunjin didn’t complain. Instead, he just pushed himself even further onto Felix, moving their lips between them and grabbing Felix’s face with both hands.

They kissed in sync, mouths moving and lips crashing and heat spreading through them. Hyunjin could feel every inch of his skin burning with an inferno, lighting up his against nerves and boiling molten lava in his blood and sparking like a firework in his chest.

He felt like a fuse that had been lit, exploding into a mighty roar that blazed and scorched all through him. Felix was flush against him, the two of them stood in the middle of a casino with mouths connected and hands clasped at each other, so hot they were practically on fire.

It was dirty. It was wrong. It was perfect.

Hyunjin could only pull Felix closer, secretly wishing for the night to last forever.

But that was when Hyunjin realised that the night couldn’t last forever, and Felix was actually on a very important mission.

The thought had only flickered through Hyunjin’s mind when Felix suddenly pulled away, his hands making their way onto Hyunjin’s cheeks.

“Thanks, my little fleck of gold-dust,” was all Felix said, his swollen lips pulled up into a splendid smile and his eyes sparkling like a pile of gold, “That was fun.”

Hyunjin blinked at him, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.

The casino was spinning ever-so-slightly around him, tilted on an axis he swore it hadn’t been on before. He waited for the disorientation to pass, trying to savour the feeling of Felix’s glossed lips against his and tiny hands in his hair.

Hyunjin could have sworn Felix was right in front of him, could have sworn Felix wanted another kiss. Hyunjin was certainly happy to give him one.

But it was only when Hyunjin’s vision came dazedly back into focus, that he realised the space in front of him was empty.

Felix was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so..... hyunlix hot
> 
> thank you so much for reading!! idk why i love back and forth dynamics between hyunlix so much, but this isn't the only story ive written about them in this way and uuurgghh they fit it so much. i hope you liked it too <3
> 
> we'll be back to the actual heist next chapter i promise ;)
> 
> please stay safe and healthy and have a wonderful day xxxx


	3. All In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh, don’t worry about that,” Seungmin winked, “I’m never wrong.”

“Okay, the plan is we get to the vault, Seungmin hacks the lock on the door, we get in, we grab the gold, we get out,” Chan said, his voice low as he walked with Seungmin and Changbin on either side of him, the three of them trying to casually stroll across the casino and not attract attention, “Any questions?”

“Yes,” Changbin said, pretending to focus on a nearby game and not on Chan, “What the hell is a casino doing with a giant vault of gold hidden underneath it?”

“Hyung, we’ve been over this,” Seungmin answered before Chan could, “This place is a humungous money-turner. It feeds off stripping people off their savings. The owners make millions off it and with millions they can buy gold. Then with the rumour of gold, they can attract more customers.”

“Well, I still think it’s just a rumour,” Changbin folded his arms, snarling at a man that almost walked into him, “If you _could_ afford so much gold, why keep it around gamblers who are literally known to be money-hungry thieves?”

“Because money-hungry thieves love a challenge,” Seungmin threw him a lopsided grin, “The more they hear about gold, the more likely it is that they will go to the place with gold, which will bring them to this casino to gamble away all their money.”

“And it obviously worked,” Chan cut in, gesturing all around him as he looked at Changbin, “This place is full to the brim, with at least half the people probably here for the same reason we are.”

Changbin seemed to think about it for a second, his jaw tightening and head tilting as Chan brought him to stand up against a wall, waiting for Jeongin’s signal.

“I still think it’s kinda dumb,” Changbin said after a moment, “If we’re so sure this gold is real, why hasn’t anyone stolen it yet?”

“Because no one knows where it is,” Chan said, his eyes sparkling with what could only be described as an undeniable surge of mischief, “But that’s because no one has Seungmin.”

At that, Changbin’s eyes slid to Seungmin, who was staring at them both with a smirk on his face. His lips were curled up, his hair pushed away from his head, his entire gaze screaming that he knew exactly what he was doing and no one should challenge him on that.

It was a look the entire group had learned to trust.

“Alright,” Changbin huffed, turning away to continue scanning the room, “If you’re so sure about this, I trust you.”

“Thanks, but I didn’t really care if you trusted us or not,” Chan flicked Changbin in the bicep, “I was going to drag you here anyway.”

“Yeah, hyung,” Seungmin joined in, his voice teasing when Changbin turned to glare at him, “What would we do without our glorified muscle-man?”

“Shut it, nerd,” Changbin simply said, “I hope you know that if you’re wrong about this, I’m shutting you in that imaginary vault and leaving you there.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Seungmin winked, “I’m never wrong.”

With that, it was completely obvious that Changbin was ready to lunge forward and grab Seungmin by the neck, probably wanting to furiously make out with him.

Fortunately, Chan was spared from the sight by a loud ping from his phone. All eyes turned to it as he opened the notification, seeing a single green heart sent to him by Jeongin.

Chan looked up at Changbin and Seungmin.

“Showtime,” he grinned.

~

The vault turned out to be a lot simpler to unlock than Chan had admittedly expected.

All it took was a trip down to the basement, a few buttons pressed by Seungmin and some alarmingly loud beeps before the entire door clanged with the unmistakable sound of a lock coming loose.

Chan felt the noise reverberate through his whole being.

Seungmin turned to look at him, stepping back from the control pad and giving Chan full access to the door. He looked confident, but there was an unreadable gleam in his eye, something that suggested Seungmin was holding his breath, refusing to let himself feel whatever was coming next.

Changbin, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He was letting himself _feel_.

There was a smile made of lightning stretching wide on his cheeks, his teeth glowing in the dark and cackles leaving his mouth. He was about to pull mounds of gold from a vault, he was about to stow away with them to prove a point to a poor kid who dared to challenge them, he was on cloud 9.

There was a part of Chan couldn’t help but feel the same. The rush from gambling was addictive, but the thrill tingling through his whole body in the moment was absolutely insane. There was nothing that could compare.

Sparks lit under Chan’s palms as he reached out to grip the large silver handle sealing the door. It was round, like a wheel, and it would only take from strong turn from Chan to reveal all the treasure they could get their hands on.

His heart jumped into his throat.

He felt both Changbin and Seungmin tense behind him as he tugged on the wheel. It made an almost unbearable screeching sound, vibrating against their eardrums like decay and echoing like a violent clang around the room.

The movement was a lot smoother than Chan expected, the wheel not putting up any of the expected stiffness or resistance he’d been waiting for. He reasoned with himself that the owners may have added to the vault recently, meaning it wouldn’t have been long since the door was last opened.

At least that’s what he wanted to believe.

It was only a moment before the bright silver light of the door started to reflect off an opposite wall, the giant barrier swinging open and almost whacking them all in the face.

Chan stepped back, his eyes taking a moment to adjust before he stared hopefully at the piles of riches he couldn’t wait to squeeze in his hands.

That riches that… weren’t there.

Disappointment crushed like a handful of sawdust in Chan’s chest.

“What?!” Chan almost yelled, the word like poison on his tongue, “What _the hell_?!”

His boots skidded against the floor as he crashed into the vault, hands immediately smacking out onto the empty shelves surrounding him.

“Where’s the gold?!” he demanded, turning a full circle in the room, his whole body seething and searing as his eyes hit barren surface after barren surface, no sight of the golden hope he’d been planning to find for months, “Where’s the stupid gold?!”

He briefly registered Changbin stomping in after him, starting to rip shelves off the walls and punch surfaces out his way as he growled.

“It has to be here somewhere!” his voice was nothing but cold, hard fury, filling the vault to the brim with rage and heating them up like a volcano, “Seungmin! You said this whole thing wasn’t a rumour!”

Chan whipped round to glare at where Seungmin was stepping carefully into the room, his face twisted with what could only be described as an utterly vile concoction of anger and confusion.

“It was supposed to be here!” Seungmin exclaimed, gesturing wildly at the emptiness around him, “It wasn’t a rumour, I know it wasn’t!”

“Well, it clearly was!” Changbin snapped back, his teeth bared and eyes burning dangerously. He flicked his fringe out his face, levelling both his eyes furiously at Seungmin.

“Hyung, you don’t understand,” Seungmin shot back, his voice uncharacteristically strained, “I did the research for this, the gold was supposed to be here! I’m so sure it was. You know I’m never wrong!”

“I certainly _used_ to know that,” Changbin rumbled, “But apparently that’s not true anymore.”

Seungmin looked so offended that Chan was legitimately worried he was about to get angry too. As much as the situation made Chan want to whistle and explode like an over-boiled kettle, he also knew an angry Seungmin was _not_ what they needed.

Seungmin was colder than ice when angry. He was calculative and uncontrollable and an endless stream of numbers that coded into a bomb and detonated all in his path.

“Alright, alright!” Chan rushed to get between Seungmin and Changbin, both his hands raised, “This is not the time for fighting!”

“This seems like the perfect time for fighting!” Changbin roared in response, looking ready to throw himself at Chan’s hand.

“Calm yourself!” Chan yelled back at him, pinning him back to his spot with a glare, “I know this isn’t what we expected, but let’s not be stupid about this. We can still win. Tonight isn’t completely ruined.”

At that, Changbin’s anger fell partly away to confusion, his head tilting and hair falling back in front of his eyes as he surveyed Chan.

“What do you mean tonight can still be saved?” he asked.

“Bin, the whole point of this was so we could win and prove a point to that kid, Felix!” Chan said, rolling his eyes when Changbin’s face lit up in realisation, “I know we wanted to absolutely knock him out the park with a pile of gold, but we can still do the same with the winnings from our games.”

“I kinda forgot about that,” Seungmin spoke up from behind them, his gaze locked on the door, “I’m not gonna lie, that kid showed a lot of promise. We’re going to have to get upstairs fast and secure some big wins if we want the absolutely brutal victory we were hoping for.”

Chan opened his mouth to respond, wanting to agree with Seungmin, but he was cut off once more by Changbin’s angry voice.

“Oh yeah? And how do we know we can trust any of _your_ judgements anymore?” Changbin’s voice was practically lacerating at the edges, tearing with anger that was most likely not directed at Seungmin, but at the lost hope of gold. Seungmin just happened to be the nearest target.

Seungmin seemed to understand this, his responding glare fading out to what looked like the look of an exasperated parent. Chan startled at the expression, hit with the realisation that Seungmin had most likely gotten it from him.

“If you’re done throwing a tantrum then I’d be happy to sit at a blackjack table with you and prove exactly how right I am all the time,” Seungmin said, his voice level but tingling with an infuriating edge of mocking that Changbin had no choice to step up to.

Changbin may have been angry, but he would never step down from a challenge.

“Alright,” Changbin smirked in a way that could only be described as demonic, “You’re on.”

With that, the two of them turned and stalked out the door, an icy tendril of rage following them that would likely accompany them through all their games for the rest of the night, only spurring on their ruthlessness and desire for victory.

Chan was left standing bewildered in the vault, his eyes straying between the now empty doorway and the even more empty shelves that were supposed to be their miracle for the night.

He couldn’t help but feel an intriguing vein of suspicion that started to unfurl in the back of his mind. He stared all around the room, knowing full-well that it had to have been brimming with gold at some point. Seungmin had never once been wrong, and it was extremely weird to Chan that his first time doing so would be during their most important mission yet.

Seungmin would have done his research, his extremely intense research, and there was a part of Chan screaming that Seungmin had been dead-right.

But then, if Seungmin was right, where the hell was the gold?

Chan stood there for another minute before just shaking his head, trying to rid himself of what he could only assume was blind hope.

The gold didn’t exist, so Chan needed to stop focusing on it.

Instead, he turned and left the room, shutting the door behind him and making his way back up to the casino. He started to think about what game he wanted to play first, where he was going to find his biggest wins.

If Chan couldn’t beat Felix with gold, then he was going to use every other strategy in the book to do so.

So, he sneaked back into the casino and grabbed Jeongin from his lookout post, pulling him over to a roulette wheel and forgetting all about the vault.

What neither of them saw was the vault door slipping open almost silently behind them.

~

Jisung was just collecting his winnings off a poker table when he jumped at a loud voice calling out from right behind him.

He almost dropped all the money from his hands, his heart jumping at the feeling of the metal slipping from his fingertips.

“Jisung!” Hyunjin called, Jisung gathering his stuff into his pockets and turning around just in time to see Hyunjin barrelling towards him, “Jisung, there you are! Where the hell is everyone? I’ve been searching for ages!”

“Um, I’m pretty sure Seungmin and Changbin-hyung are at blackjack, Chan-hyung and Jeongin are at the roulette and Minho-hyung’s on slots,” Jisung answered, looking Hyunjin up and down in concern, “What the hell happened to you? Why were you looking for u- oh my god, where’s Felix?!”

At the end of his sentence, Jisung’s eyes widened, his voice getting high-pitched and chest tightening as he scrambled to look either side of Hyunjin, “Don’t tell me you lost him!”

“It wasn’t my fault!” Hyunjin immediately exclaimed, “He… well… he’s very distracting!”

Jisung raised an eyebrow at Hyunjin’s wide gestures, pushing his panic aside momentarily to stare at him.

“Hyunjin, literally no one gets past you,” Jisung stared him down, “If this kid got past you, then he’s good. Which meant he must have done something really sneaky.”

Hyunjin seemed to fumble for a couple of seconds, looking away to run a hand through his messy hair. Jisung’s eyebrow raised even more at the action, only just realising just how frazzled Hyunjin looked.

“I was kinda expecting the kid to be the subtle kind of sneaky,” Hyunjin said, wincing slightly as he shut his eyes, “Which he was definitely not.”

Jisung tilted his head, tyring to process the words as he continued to look over Hyunjin. Pieces started to come together when he realised that Hyunjin was sweating, his hair was messy, his t-shirt had slipped from his shoulders and his lips were swollen…

Realisation hit Jisung like a truck.

“Oh my god!” Jisung exclaimed, reaching forward to smack Hyunjin in the chest, “You kissed him, you bloody idiot!”

“No, he kissed me!” Hyunjin practically screeched, “He kissed me and I didn’t exactly stop it because yeah it was really hot, but it wasn’t my idea, okay?!”

“Oh my god,” Jisung rolled his eyes so hard he could have sworn he saw heaven, “You’re actually unbelievable. You’ve risked this whole mission just to get some action.”

“Hey, don’t act like you wouldn’t do exactly the same thing,” Hyunjin glared at him, “I saw you checking Felix out. You would have gone for it if Minho wouldn’t kill you.”

“This isn’t about me,” Jisung grumbled, averting his gaze when Hyunjin just narrowed his glare, “But I’m sure we can fix this. We just need to find Felix before he’s had enough time to do something big. How long since you lost him?”

Hyunjin’s glare changed to a wince, his voice strained as he mumbled so lowly Jisung almost didn’t hear him, “Probably just enough time for him to have done something big.”

Jisung sighed, “Well, we’re doomed.”

“I’m blaming this on you if Chan-hyung asks!” Hyunjin was quick to exclaim, Jisung gasping so loud he felt numerous pairs of eyes turn to him.

But there was one particular pair of eyes Jisung was probably trying to avoid, his face falling as he met them.

“What are we blaming on Jisung?” Chan spoke from behind Hyunjin, making Hyunjin jump about a foot in the air.

Jisung stumbled forward to catch him, both of them now facing Chan with what had to be matching terror on their faces.

Chan just simply stared at them, his arms folded and eyes as hard as rock. Jisung had seen that look before, and he knew it was likely to explode into thunder.

“Oh, hi Chan hyung!” Hyunjin was quick to say, far too innocently for it to actually be innocent. Hyunjin never did anything innocent.

“Hello, Hyunjin,” Chan raised an amused eyebrow, his gaze switching either side of Hyunjin before settling on him again, “Would you like to tell me where Felix is? I’m pretty sure you were supposed to be keeping an eye on him.”

Hyunjin leant further into Jisung, gesturing so hard he almost hit him in the face.

“Well, you see, the thing is-”

“Oh my god!” Chan’s voice cut right through him, “You lost the kid!”

“He got away so easily!” Hyunjin whined, pouting at the way Chan glared at him in shock, “I don’t know much about how he gambles, but if you want to judge his deception, the kid’s good.”

“Actually,” a smart voice cut through all of them, Seungmin appearing behind Chan and thankfully speaking over Jisung who was about to scream about Hyunjin’s kiss, “He’s not a kid.”

Chan turned to Seungmin, Changbin appearing at his shoulder, “What?”

“I looked him up,” Seungmin shrugged, “Felix was born the day after Jisung.”

“Which makes him the same age as you,” Jisung muttered, no one hearing him because of Chan deciding to scream “ _You looked him up?!”_ at the same time.

“So you have time to research Felix without literally any of us noticing, but you can’t check if a rumour is real?” Changbin spoke up, Jisung and Hyunjin sharing a glance at the way he snapped.

Seungmin didn’t even try and defend himself, a sheepish look appearing on his face that made Jisung and Hyunjin _very_ curious. Jisung thought back to what they were supposed to be doing, jumping even harder than he had when he’d realised Hyunjin had kissed Felix.

“You guys didn’t get the gold!” he yelled, Hyunjin startling next to him and the others all looking away at his words, “Oh my god, you didn’t!”

“The gold doesn’t exist,” Seungmin mumbled grumpily, “There’s a vault but nothing inside it.”

Hyunjin furrowed a brow, “What’s the point of an empty vault?”

“There’s no point to it,” Seungmin looked up at him through his eyelashes, “It’s just stupid.”

Hyunjin looked even more confused at that, but he didn’t say anything, not when Seungmin was looking ready to choke him on the spot.

If looks could kill, Seungmin would have murdered them all in that moment.

That was if Changbin didn’t kill them all first. He still looked extremely angry.

Neither Jisung nor Hyunjin wanted to imagine what Changbin’s reaction would have been when he found the empty vault.

“Well, that sucks,” Jisung eventually said, hoping to diffuse the silence around them, “But we all still won a lot, right?”

“Yeah, we did,” Chan nodded, “We’ll still beat the ki- I mean Felix.”

“We just gotta find him first,” Seungmin said, looking around the room, “He literally could be anywhere.”

“Nah, it’s approaching sunrise,” Chan said, casting a glance at his phone, “We’ll be meeting him outside soon.”

“That is if he’s not already out there making out with Jeongin in the alley,” Jisung muttered, everyone turning to look at him in confusion as Hyunjin smacked him in the arm.

“Hey, he only wanted to kiss _me_!” Hyunjin pouted, “And he’s not invited on the team if he makes out with Jeongin too.”

“Hyunjin, _made out with Felix?!_ ” came the shout.

Hyunjin looked up shyly, meeting tentative eyes with Chan, “I mean… maybe.”

Chan just rolled his eyes and turned to walk away, “Unbelievable.”

“Yeah, that’s what I said,” Jisung followed behind him, punching Changbin in the arm for good measure and sprinting away when Changbin tore after him.

They raced their way towards the exit, squealing and screeching at each other like children. Chan was quick to catch up with them, grabbing them both by their collars and dragging them into the sunrise.

“Come on, kids,” Chan said, looking behind him at where Hyunjin and Seungmin had gathered up Minho and Jeongin, “Let’s go show this other kid exactly what Stray Kids are made of.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!!
> 
> i love me some angry changbin and some evil seungmin. throw in some chaotic hyunsung and we have ourselves a chapter. i hope you enjoyed <33 xx
> 
> have a blessed day!!


	4. Jackpot!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I wouldn’t cash all in yet if I were you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heya all!!
> 
> sorry this chapter took a while. christmas this year was chaotic and im back at work between uni terms and i didn't have a lot of time to write
> 
> but im here with the final chapter and i hope you enjoy what was a very satisfying ending to write <333

Felix, as it turned out, was _not_ making out with Jeongin in the alley behind the casino.

Hyunjin didn’t know why he was relieved.

Felix was, however, waiting for them all there, smirking at them when they realised he had beat them to the location. Chan could only pray that was the only thing he’d beat them at during the night.

They all carefully approached him, falling into step with one another and stopping when they were a few feet away. Felix was, exactly like when they’d all met, slunk into the shadows, leaning up against the back wall with a foot propped up behind him and just the glow of his eyes visible as he watched them all.

Chan tried to reason with himself that Felix must have been at least a little bit scared. He was cornered into an alley by Stray Kids, after all.

But if Felix was scared, he didn’t show it, not if the way the darkness sloped perfectly over his face could say anything.

“Felix,” Chan said after a few seconds of silence, “I’m surprised you showed up.”

Felix grinned back at him, his boots stepping into the light with the rest of him following behind as he came into the early morning glow of the Sun that hadn’t quite reached the edge of the alley yet. He looked majestic.

“I told you,” Felix said, not even an ounce of doubt on his face, “I was ready for this.”

“You were ready to try and out-gamble seven people at once?” Minho cut in, his voice ruthless and face challenging as he narrowed his eyes at Felix, “You’re seriously nothing more than a pretty face if you thought you could actually beat those odds.”

Felix just smirked, his eyes knowing as he looked at Minho, “I thought the seven of you would know better than anyone that a pretty face can hide a spectacular mind.”

Chan was admittedly taken aback by those words, trying not to let the surprise show on his face at the brief look Felix gave them under his masked exterior. Felix _was_ pretty, that much was obvious, but Chan was once more getting the sense that his intelligence ran much deeper than that.

The same could apparently not always be said for his group.

“Awww Felix thinks we’re pretty,” Hyunjin practically gushed, his face breaking out into a bright red blush when Felix smirked at him.

“And he’s kinda got a point,” Seungmin mumbled from next to him, referring to what Felix had said about his mind. But the rest of the group ignored that, too focused on the way Hyunjin and Felix were now staring at each other.

“Of course I think you’re pretty, lover boy,” Felix said, his voice drawling in a way that could only be described as sickly sweet, “The kiss wasn’t just about distracting you.”

Hyunjin made a noise that somewhat resembled a squeak, Chan mentally face-palming when Felix just giggled at the sight of a rare panicked gay Hyunjin.

If this was Felix’s way of deceiving people when he gambled, Chan supposed he couldn’t fault him on that. Not when it very clearly seemed to work.

Speaking of…

“Felix,” Chan brought everyone’s attention back to him with a snap, his voice echoing firmly down the alley and practically smacking Felix in the face, “I know you didn’t come here just to flirt, so let’s get down to business, yes?”

Felix nodded quickly, his posture straightening and face changing to an expression of determination as he spoke, “How do you want to do this?”

“We’ll show you how much we’ve got, you realise how stupid you are and apologise,” Chan said, Felix barely even flinching at the mocking in his tone, “You lose.”

With his last words, Chan flicked his lips up into what he knew was a venomous smile. He had teasing in his eyes, malice on his face, an almost sadistic sense of glee shining from him.

But Felix just smiled right back, “Alright,” he said, “If you’re so sure, then show me what you got.”

Chan didn’t need to hear anymore, the words challenging enough as he stepped forward and threw his metal case onto the ground between him and Felix.

It landed with a harsh jolt, its hinges creaking and coins rattling around inside. Felix stared at it for a couple of seconds, looking to Chan for permission before he knelt down in front of it and clasped onto the openers.

The case popped open with a click, money and notes pouring out like they’d been trying to burst out forever. Chan couldn’t help but feel smug, not missing the impressed gleam in Felix’s eye as he stared down at the pile of cash in front of him.

“You can count it if you want,” Chan couldn’t help but let his arrogance leak into his voice, “But it might take you a while.”

Felix looked back up at him, something unreadable on his face that Chan almost found himself frowning at. There was something in Felix’s expression, something that suggested he knew something that Chan didn’t. Chan didn’t like it…

But before Chan could ask, his group members were all suddenly next to him, reaching simultaneously into their pockets.

“If you’re going to count all that money,” Jeongin said, nodding to the case in front of Felix, “Don’t forget all this too.”

With that, all the boys brought their hands out their pockets, raining a whole avalanche of cash all over Felix and the case. Felix flinched back, narrowly avoiding a coin smacking between his eyes and glaring at them all with his hair now fallen in his face.

Chan wanted to feel victorious, but there was something about Felix’s glare. It wasn’t a glare of defeat, a glare of anger that someone wore when they knew all hope was lost. Felix looked like he still had something to hope for, like he still had a card he could play. Chan once against felt the vein of suspicion twitch in the back of his mind.

“You might need some help counting all that,” Jisung’s voice broke through Chan’s thoughts, everyone’s eyes still on the money scattered in front of where Felix was knelt on the floor.

Felix raked his gaze back over all the winnings, his face contemplating. He hummed to himself, leaving the group in suspense for a bit longer before he looked up.

“I really don’t think we need to count this,” he said, picking up a coin from next to his shoe and flicking it at Chan.

“Oh yeah, and why’s that?” Changbin folded his arms, a look that could only be described as devious painted all over his face, “Are you ashamed of your tiny pile of money now? There’s no point in counting because you’ve lost so badly?”

Changbin imitated a baby crying as he spoke, bringing his fists up to his eyes and squishing his lips in a fat pout. Felix had the audacity to look amused, his face almost infuriatingly casual as he answered.

“Quite the opposite actually,” he said, standing up in one fluid movement and turning towards the back of the alley, “I wouldn’t cash all in yet if I were you.”

Chan couldn’t help but be curious as Felix walked back into the shadows, picking up a big black shoulder bag that none of them had spotted yet. Felix struggled to pick it up, dragging it back into the light with him and clearly using all his strength to lift the bag up and throw it on top of the pile.

It landed with an almighty clink.

Chan felt his heart jump into his throat, suddenly having an extremely overwhelming sense that he knew exactly what was in the bag. He tried to tell himself that Felix just had a lot of coins, that the bag was full of a hefty amount of cash that still wouldn’t be enough to beat Stray Kids.

But then Chan realised Felix wouldn’t have been bragging if coins were the only thing he’d won. It had to be something more.

Chan was silent as he knelt down in front of the bag, Felix taking a step back to give him room. The rest of his group were all deadly silent behind him, none of them moving a single muscle as they waited to see what Felix had.

The sound of the zip echoed all over the alley, the bag practically exploding open as Chan rocked back. He gasped, watching as something fell out and land on the pile of coins, shining brighter than the sunset.

Chan felt his heart stop.

There was absolutely no denying it now. The thing that had fallen out the bag was, without a single doubt in Chan’s mind, a giant bar of solid gold.

Time froze.

Chan felt surprise course through his veins, questions whizzing through his mind as he tried to process the fact that Felix ( _Felix the kid???_ ) had somehow managed to outsmart them all. He’d enacted the plan they wanted. He’d taken the gold from right under their noses. He’d beaten the giant money pile they’d thrown in front of him.

Chan wanted to be angry, wanted to grab the gold bar and smash it into Felix’s face. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t be angry when he was so freakin’ impressed.

“Wow,” was all he could say, reaching out a hand to pull the rest of the bag open and revealing the ginormous stash of gold hidden inside.

The whole group was silent.

That was until Seungmin spoke up, his voice loud and demanding and attention-seeking as he whipped round to face the group so hard he almost got whiplash.

“See!” he screamed, gesturing wildly all around him, “I told you there was gold! Suck it, Changbin!”

“That’s Changbin- _hyung_ to you!” Changbin bit back, a finger pointed at Seungmin, but there was a smile on his face, a smile made of pride and admiration and possibly a little bit of leftover disbelief.

Seungmin smiled back at him, giggling as he turned to face Felix, “I hate the fact that you managed to beat me at this, but thank you so much for helping to prove me right.”

Felix laughed, all the worry draining from his face. Chan could only guess that he’d gotten scared that the group would get angry at him for managing to beat them.

“No problem,” Felix said to Seungmin, his voice tingling with relief, “I’d be happy to steal gold for you anytime.”

“Well, we might just take you up on that,” Jisung responded, his eyes as wide as saucers as he continued to stare at the gold, “You’re going to have to tell us how you did that.”

“Sorry,” Felix said, tilting his head at him, “That privilege is reserved for people who let me on their team only.”

“Oh my god, Felix!” Chan shot to his feet, looking to Felix with as much excitement as he could muster, “Hell yeah, you’re on the team! We’d be stupid to turn you away after this.”

Felix’s smile somehow seemed even more genuine that time, his mask appearing to fall away slightly as he spoke in what could only be described as his softest tone yet, “Thank you.”

“It should be us thanking you,” Chan spoke softly too, letting the words hang in the air before his tone got mischievous again, “You managed to steal a whole vault of gold for us and give Hyunjin a kiss. What would we do without you?”

Felix laughed as Hyunjin let out a loud _hey!_ Chan not even having to turn around to know exactly what kind of offended, over-dramatic expression would be on his face.

“You would have stolen the gold if I didn’t,” Felix eventually waved Chan off, once Hyunjin had calmed down, “But I will take credit for the kiss, though. I would have kept coming back for that even if I didn’t win tonight.”

Chan felt his eyes widen, his eyebrows raising as he turned to where Hyunjin looked like he was about to pass out from shock.

Minho waved a hand in front of his face, shrugging when Hyunjin made no indication that he’d seen him,

“Well, looks like you’re stick with us now, Felix,” Minho said, “Or we might never get Hyunjin back.”

“Sounds good,” Felix said, his face practically shining, “Thank you for having me on the team.”

“It’s not a problem,” Chan took a step forward, legs taking him over the pile of gold and to where Felix stood as he held out a hand, “Felix, I would like to welcome you to Stray Kids.”

Felix shook the hand, an adorable grin on his face, “It’s a pleasure to be here.”

With that, Chan grabbed him by the shoulder, turning him around to face the rest of the group as he cheered. The group cheered back, all shouting their congratulations to Felix and diving forward to grab a bar of gold each.

Chan watched them with a smile on his face, waiting for them to be distracted before he turned to pull Felix into a hug. Felix jumped against him at first, but didn’t take long to melt into his arms, his head falling onto Chan’s shoulder.

Chan savoured the hug, already looking forward to taking another kid under his wing.

But then the rest of the group got jealous, all demanding their own Felix hug. Felix could only giggle, going round and introducing himself individually to each and every one of them, being pulled none-too-gently into all their arms.

The only one Felix didn’t really talk to was Hyunjin, because the two of them were kissing before they could get a single word out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading!! and thank you to everyone who stuck with me on this story. i honestly can't put into words how fun this fic has been
> 
> im ngl, this genre of fic is probably one of my favourite. i always have so much fun with hot, questionable, action concepts, especially this one. i already have so many other ideas for this particular set of skz characters, so i might turn this into a series
> 
> i hope everyone had happy holidays and is continuing to stay safe. once again, thanks so much for all the love and support on this <333

**Author's Note:**

> twitter: @hotelfelixxie


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